OpenAI Launches Multiuser Chat for ChatGPT in Asia-Pacific Region

OpenAI is expanding its models into the Asia-Pacific region with group chats that enable multiple people to collaborate within the same AI-powered conversation. 

The new feature transforms ChatGPT from a solo tool to a shared space, enabling multiple platform users to collaborate in real-time. It allows users to create a room where everyone views the same thread, and the model responds to the group as a whole rather than a single user. Participants can coordinate research, compare notes, plan projects, or break down tasks together in a conversation that behaves like a normal chat channel. 

The announcement of the new group chat feature comes shortly after a popular AI enthusiast leaked screenshots of it on X. Group chats are launching on mobile and web in Japan, New Zealand, South Korea, and Taiwan, and will be available to logged-in Free, Go, Plus, and Pro users in those regions. The company describes this launch as a pilot designed to gather feedback before expanding the feature more widely.

“Group chats make it possible to bring people, and ChatGPT, into the same conversation,” OpenAI wrote in a blog post. “For example, if you’re planning a weekend trip with friends, create a group chat so ChatGPT can help compare destinations, build an itinerary, and create a packing list with everyone participating and following along.”

Turning ChatGPT into a shared space

ChatGPT group chats are invitation-only rooms where participants see the same thread of prompts and replies, with the model responding at the pace of an everyday conversation. The system runs on GPT-5.1 Auto, which selects the strongest model available to whoever is prompting, but the feature is designed to feel more like a live discussion rather than a string of individual queries.

The new feature is unique for addressing the practical challenges of creating a social AI system within a one-on-one ecosystem, including managing pace, safeguarding data, and setting boundaries that keep group discussions controllable and predictable. 

OpenAI has also introduced social rules that govern when and how the model participates. ChatGPT holds back unless explicitly instructed to do so, follows the rhythm of the conversation, and avoids flooding the discussion with unnecessary replies. Standard tools, such as search, images, and file uploads, still work in these rooms, but the model’s behavior is tuned so that it doesn’t dominate the exchange. 

The company has addressed privacy and safety concerns by sealing off these group chats from a user’s private conversations, and ChatGPT’s memory feature is disabled inside them. The separation is meant to prevent cross-thread leakage of personal data, a recurring point of contention as generative AI tools expand into multiuser environments. 

Similarly, OpenAI has implemented stronger protections for younger users amid ongoing regulatory attention to how AI systems engage with minors. When someone under 18 enters a room, ChatGPT limits sensitive content across the entire chat, and parents or guardians have the option to disable chats altogether. 

Shaping the competitive landscape

OpenAI’s group chat functionality outperforms early efforts by rivals to expand their generative AI platforms into shared team spaces. Microsoft and Google, for example, have been experimenting with collaborative modes inside their respective productivity tools, but neither has released a dedicated multiuser chat environment at this scale. 

By launching first, OpenAI is now the standard bearer for real-time group interaction with an AI assistant, pressuring rivals to build systems that can track multiple voices, maintain context, and manage group dynamics while keeping discussions on track. 

What matters now is whether the feature proves durable in everyday workflows. If it does, competitors will have to accelerate their own versions, and users will begin treating AI as an active tool in team discussions rather than as an assistant they consult on the side. 

AI is also becoming a collaboration layer beyond chat platforms; our best AI tools to help freelancers win more clients highlights how everyday workers are already relying on AI apps to coordinate projects, manage client communication, and streamline shared workflows.